Solar Heat for Industrial Processes in Germany – Market Overview and Detailed Monitoring of Selected Systems
Abstract
Since the start of the funding of solar thermal process heat systems in Germany, a growing market has begun to evolve. At the moment roughly 400 m of collector area for solar process heat systems are submitted for approval each month; four times more than in 2012. All together about 14,000 m were submitted since 2012 and more than half of the collector area is already in operation, delivering heat for commercial and industrial applications. Although many of these systems are within 20 m to 40 m and are used for very simple applications like rearing of piglets and hot water preparation for car washes, there are also bigger systems, up to 960 m , delivering heat for e.g. drying and cleaning applications of production sites and produced goods. Referring to the turnkey system costs, the average cost of nearly 800 €/m2 is still quite high and differs significantly depending on the collector technology used and the application. In addition to the funding of new solar process heat systems, a detailed monitoring of three newly installed systems is financed to gain in depth experience on solar process heat systems. These systems are a metal surface treatment facility, a bitumen production and a gas pressure regulation station. System descriptions and first results are presented.
Keywords
Industrial process heat, Solar thermal, German market, Monitoring